Leave 'em Weeping
Sometimes it’s fun to see somebody cry. I’m talking about the kind of tears that happen when someone overwhelms you with expressions of care. Today our church did that to my friend, Reiko.
Reiko and her family just returned from feeding God’s children in Japan for two years, and they’ve purchased a house in our neighborhood. So today they got a surprise pounding. No, they didn’t get their noses punched. A “pounding” is a custom that dates back to the early Quaker days. When somebody new moved into town, folks would have a welcome-wagon get together at which all the neighbors brought a pound of sugar, flour, butter, oranges—whatever—to help stock the new neighbor’s pantry.
Yet today’s pounding was more stealth than that. Somebody (no, not me) sent out an email, and then lots of folks quietly brought stuff that they stacked in a corner of the church's entry area. One family even donated a television set! Then Reiko’s family was informed that all that stuff was theirs.
That’s when the tears happened.
Like I said, those kind of tears are fun to see. The church's Bible study group was talking only this week about how Jesus said to do acts of kindness in secret without expecting thanks or praise... Seeing the huge stack of groceries was great for Reiko, but it was great for the rest of us, too. It was a good reminder of how much good a few bucks and kind motives can do.
And it reminded me of something my niece, Heather, told me last week. Heather is the one whose mom was recently diagnosed with cancer (you can check out the update site here). Heather emailed to say that she and her groom were out at brunch last week and they went to pay the bill, but someone—in a random act of kindness—had paid it already. Heather told me she about lost it right there in the restaurant. I about lost it when I read her message about it.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if phrases like “losing it” and “getting a pounding” had to have new primary meanings because of so many acts of both random and intentional kindness?
Whom can you bless with a random act of kindness today? Whom can you surprise with a premeditated expression of care? Has anybody ever surprised you with such an act? I'd love to hear about it.